There are a lot of players who are getting credit for the turnaround of the Los Angeles Lakers’ season, but perhaps the most unsung hero for this team has been veteran guard Marcus Smart. The former Defensive Player of the Year sets the tone on that end of the floor for the Lakers, while also giving the team another ball-handler on offense.
Smart had to sit out the Lakers’ loss against the Detroit Pistons on Monday night due to an ankle issue and the team missed the energy and attitude he brings, especially against a physical team like the Pistons. And head coach JJ Redick admitted that not having Smart was a huge blow for his team.
“Not having Smart tonight killed us,” Redick said on Spectrum SportsNet. “That’s important for us, that we can get healthy and we can play our rotation. Post-Luke (Kennard) trade, I think when all nine guys have played, we’ve been a good basketball team. And I think (Jarred Vanderbilt) did a great job tonight. When he had his minutes, he was ready to play. But the way our team works, you need Smart for his ballhandling, you need Smart for his defense, you need Rui for his shooting. Those pieces are important to complement everybody. And, you know, we need to finish the season strong, but we also need to finish the season healthy.”
The Lakers have settled into a consistent nine-man rotation with everyone understanding and excelling in their roles. With both Smart and Rui Hachimura out it forced the Lakers to switch things up, but there just is no replacing what Smart does.
The veteran brings an energy to this Lakers team that forces everyone else pick it up, and when a team is in the middle of a long road trip in the latter stages of the regular season, not having that energy guy on the floor can be costly.
To the Lakers’ credit they still battled back and showed a ton of resiliency on the road. Obviously Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and LeBron James will get most of the attention, but Smart has been absolutely crucial to this team’s success and the Lakers will want to make sure he’s healthy in this final stretch of the season and into the playoffs.
JJ Redick gives takeaways following end of Lakers winning streak
While the Lakers battled they ultimately came up short against the Pistons, ending their nine-game winning streak. And head coach JJ Redick offered up some takeaways on his team after their first loss in nearly three weeks.
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